Remarkable run for Wellesley baseball team

Even if it took the Wellesley baseball team a little while to get going, the Raiders finish to 2017 was much better than their introduction.

By Tommy Cassell @tommycassell44

Good things come to those who wait.

Or at least that’s how the age-old adage goes.

Take the Tortoise and the Hare, the ancient Aesop’s fable, for example, where the slow-and-steady Tortoise wins the race. Or maybe you prefer the proverbial phrase: patience is a virtue.

Take your pick.

Whatever you choose, it applies to the Wellesley baseball team this spring.

“We had our ups and downs during April and early May before everything started to click,” Wellesley coach Rob Kane said. “The team really came together during the last week of the season. The boys swept the final week of the season and went on a run to be Eastern Mass champs, which had never happened in school history.

“[The] team closed out the season by winning eight of nine including seven of those on the road.”

The Raiders only defeat during that span, and in June, was a 5-1 loss at the hands of Taconic in the Division 1 state championship.

But way before that point, Wellesley (16-10) was faced with a situation of needing to win four of its final six games just to make the tournament for the 10th straight season.

The final week of the regular season saw the Raiders go 3-0 with wins over Needham, Natick (which clinched a postseason berth), and Medfield.

During those three wins, Wellesley scored 23 runs, which was a major uptick from its offensive numbers in April and early May.

“A huge confidence builder going into a tough D1 South bracket,” said Kane.

Kane wasn’t kidding.

As a No. 13 seed, the Raiders prodded through the Div. 1 South sectional with wins over Mansfield, Barnstable, Durfee, and Bridgewater-Raynham for the program’s first sectional title since 2005.

All four victories were close, with three of the W’s coming by two runs or less, as the win over Barnstable came via a 5-1 final.

“All in all the postseason run was beyond what anyone expected,” Kane said. “We brought two trophies back to WHS. No one else in Eastern Mass can say the same. The boys should be very proud of their team accomplishments…

“We take great pride in being the last BSC team standing when all was said and done.”

When all was said and done, many moments stuck out in Kane’s mind from the historic postseason run.

During the Raiders 7-6 (9 INN.) win over Durfee in the sectional semifinals, senior Brendan Dolan came up with a huge catch in the outfield and throw to the home for a pivotal double play as Durfee had the bases loaded with one out.

“That play will go down as the number one defensive highlight in my [Wellesley] coaching career,” said Kane.

“The playoff run will definitely be the most memorable part of the season, but the Durfee game in particular,” added Dolan. “That was the most exciting baseball game I had ever been a part of and it was great to pull it off that night.”

In the Raiders next game — a 3-1 victory over Bridgewater-Raynham — junior John Ciolfi smacked a run-scoring double in the top of the seventh to break open a 1-1 tie. Ciolfi’s double ended up being the game-winning hit before Dolan brought in Ciolfi with a triple to make it the final.

Then in Wellesley’s final win — a 1-0 affair with North champion Lowell — the Raiders received a sacrifice fly from senior Jack Waisel, which scored Dolan, as sophomore Henry Weycker handled the rest by pitching a complete game shutout while striking out 10 batters.

“Henry mixed and matched his pitches to perfection,” said Kane of Weycker, who sported a 6-3 record on the mound while striking out 73 hitters in just over 65 innings pitched this season. “He executed, our defense did their job, hitters stepped up and we walked away with a 1-0 win. Complete team effort. Lowell had one of the best pitchers we faced all season and no one ever expected us to walk away champions.

“We believed we could and that is all that matters.”

By the end of the Raiders’ run, it was the little things that mattered too.

Even silly superstitions.

“All of our superstitions,” Henry Weycker said when asked what he’ll remember most about the year. “[We] always [had the] same places on the bench if we were hitting well, same seats on the bus, [and] I didn't bring ear phones the entire postseason because I forgot them the first and second games and we won.”

Waisel’s answer didn’t veer too much away from his teammates.

“I will remember my teammates the most,” said the senior, who will attend Tufts University next fall along with Dolan. “This was a special group of kids that had fun, supported each other, and persevered to play good baseball.”

Waisel and Kane were also quick to point to the fact that Wellesley’s success went beyond the players while the Raiders enjoyed the positive support from alumni and the community.

Both Waisel and Kane mentioned assistant coaches Kirk Fredericks, Mike Robert, and Jim Everhart as playing vital roles in the Raiders’ run as well.

“Without them we wouldn't be in the position we were in throughout the [season],” said Kane.

Wellesley’s season looked like it may end on May 27 in its regular season finale with Medfield.

But by following some old proverbs, some quirky superstitions, or maybe just the lead of their coaches, the Raiders played on the final day of the spring season on June 17.

Better known as state championship Saturday.

“Our postseason run gave us a taste of what some teams get to play for every year,” Kane said. “We want to be that team going forward.”

With only seven seniors graduating, and a vast majority of its starting nine coming back next season, Wellesley may very well find itself in a similar position next year and in the seasons to come.

But the 2017 season will go down in history for the Wellesley baseball team.

Even if it took awhile for the Raiders to get it going.

Tommy Cassell can be reached at 508-626-4405 or tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.